Maylee Todd on amplifying your creative practice through experimentation

A single dimension or medium can rarely satisfy the scope of Maylee Todd’s boldest ideas. From generating synths on Ableton by translating the frequency of brainwaves, to throwing a party for her Virtual Womb Network project in Decentraland, a 3D virtual world, the widely-acclaimed, boundary-breaking multidisciplinary artist has crafted a method for harnessing technology to elevate her creative vision. In this conversation, she delves into the nuts and bolts of her process, and demystifies the art of weaving new tools into all aspects of your work.

Q: It’s not rare for artists to feel the pressure to make a project that appeals to a wide range of interests and checks a bunch of boxes. What do you think have been the benefits of intentionally carving out a niche space for your work?

When it comes to artistic practices, I'm fascinated by locating exactly what my passion is, then learning the ins and outs of what I’m working on. It's all going to be hard and have its own set of challenges. Sometimes, when there are limits, you have to be more creative because there's already a palette that you have to play within. Timing also matters. There’s this book [Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Dr. Anna Lembke] that talks about how when working on a project for a longer period, for example, if you’re writing a song, the amount of work that you put in builds up to a more sustainable type of happiness and peace. There is a feeling of relief once you've finished it.

Q: What are your thoughts on how your relationship to technology can function as a tool to restore ease and agency to the parts of being a musician that might be challenging?

I was playing with bands quite a bit, but it was kind of unsustainable. Instead, in every city that I visited, I would get recommendations for a string quartet. I'd have all the arrangements in a Dropbox folder, then the musicians would download it, learn on their own, and then we would meet each other for the first time for soundcheck. It was great to play with string players from different cities. If people couldn't show up, we just plugged those digital strings back into Ableton. That was a game-changer for me in terms of cutting down costs on touring. For the Virtual Womb show, you would walk through projections and a large vulva, which also worked as my sleeping bag.

Q: You illustrate an important lesson where artists can think about how to be mindful of their labor, especially when it comes to utilizing lessons or assets for one element of a project and repurpose it in a lot of different dynamic ways.

I'm a big spreadsheet gal. It really taught me how to build a multimedia show and consider everything — lighting, choreography, projection. I often ask: What do the songs mean?  What does the album mean? What is the Coles Notes pitch? Then, it kind of gives me an overall idea of what the show is going to look like. When I’m done, all of those little notes work great for PR and press. I like to put the odds in my favor, so I like to use as many platforms as possible because I don't have a marketing team. I've kind of sprinkled the sauce and  seeds across the land. However, I do think that there needs to be a lot more education on what's happening with our brains with social media — our digital identities are tied to a lot of these platforms. 

Q: What is your advice for artists who want to explore the worldbuilding you’ve accomplished with your work, but might not know where to start?

My mom always says to remember “patience and perseverance.” I have a mantra that I like to change every few years. When any fears come up, I just go straight to the mantra, and it is encouraging and helpful — using “claiming words” like “I am” or “I can.” I would also say to start simple. No one can do you. You have to know where your value system lies.

As-told-to Melissa Vincent. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.